Teams that suffer six-game losing streaks that run from December into January often don’t go dancing in March.
Belmont women’s basketball coach Cameron Newbauer was well aware of that fact after his team lost road games to Chattanooga, IUPUI, Green Bay, Western Kentucky, Southeast Missouri State, and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The former assistant coach with the Georgia and Louisville women and the Georgia men knew he and his players had to do something to save their season.
“The losing streak forced us to become tougher,” said Newbauer, who is in his third season as head coach at Belmont. “It was make-or-break time for our team.”
But the Bruins discovered that toughness and became a better rebounding squad and one that learned how to finish games. In the process, they traded a six-game losing streak for a 10-game winning streak that put them back on track to get to the postseason.
A two-point loss to Tennessee-Martin only delayed that journey. Belmont responded by winning its final three regular-season games and then sweeping three games in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament to secure the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
At 11 a.m. Friday, No. 13 seed Belmont (24-8) will take on No. 4 seed Michigan State (24-8) in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Mississippi State’s Humphrey Coliseum.
The winner of that game will play the winner of the game between No. 5 seed Mississippi State and No. 12 seed Chattanooga at a time to be determined Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Newbauer said Tuesday he has been honest with his team about the challenge it faces against Michigan State, which finished third in the Big Ten Conference and was runner-up to Maryland in the Big Ten Conference tournament.
“They are more athletic, they are bigger, stronger, and faster, and they have one of the best scorers in the country in Aerial Powers,” Newbauer said. “Powers has great size inside. Plus, they are one of the best rebounding teams in the country. They’re also really good in transition offense. I don’t know where to stop.”
Newbauer said a “positive” to his team’s matchup is that it will play Michigan State on a neutral floor. Michigan State couldn’t play host to the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament because the state girls basketball tournament is being played at its home venue.
Playing on neutral site could be a bonus for a team that has six upperclasswomen on its 16-player roster. Newbauer said the Bruins have excelled because they have tough kids who have sacrificed individual accolades for team goals. As Newbauer is fond of saying, Belmont is about “we” rather than “me.”
Redshirt sophomore Kylee Smith, a transfer from Vanderbilt, sophomore Sally McCabe, and freshman Darby Maggard said that team-first mentality has been present since the beginning of the season. They said Newbauer has fostered that mind-set by finding the right players who fit in at the private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I think we’re just scrappers,” said McCabe, a 6-foot-3 center. “We’re always finding ways to win, and we’re not afraid to try new things. We’re hungry for wins, and we play really hard together.”
Together is a key word because Belmont is only team in Starkville this weekend that has more assists (559) than turnovers (463). It has 36 more assists than the next closest team (Michigan State).
McCabe, who is third on the team in scoring (12.5 points per game), said the team’s chemistry grew stronger thanks to a mission trip it took in August to Rio. She said a lot of people have told the Bruins they can see the chemistry on the court and that is obvious they enjoy playing with each other.
“We are a very unselfish team. It is never about one person going out and scoring 20 points,” McCabe said. “We try to make each other look good and help everybody have a big night.”
Smith, a 5-11 forward, leads the team in scoring (13.4 ppg.). She also is second on the team in assists (114) to Maggard, a 5-5 guard, who has 170.
Smith said this is the most fun she has had as a member of a team. She said she never has been on a team with players as unselfish as this group of Bruins.
“I think it takes all of the pressure off. Every game I look around and my whole team has my back,” Smith said. “If I make a mistake, my team is going to pick me up.”
Maggard credits her teammates for creating an atmosphere that she could step into and feel comfortable. She is second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg.).
Maggard credits Newbauer for setting the tone. He said he has stressed the importance of the team concept since the beginning of the season.
“At the first practice he asked us is this going to be about me or about we?” Maggard said. “He said, ‘You need to ask yourself that every day. If you answer yourself, you might want to correct your thinking to make it about our team.’ He has done that day in and day out and driven it into our heads.”
While the players credit Newbauer, he believes they deserve a lot of credit for coming together to maximize their potential. He said the willingness of individuals to sacrifice for the good of the team shows everyone else how serious they are about winning. To the Bruins, it doesn’t matter who scores the most points because it is all about getting a result.
“If they can give and take and sacrifice for their teammates, we’re all going to get what we want at the end of the day,” Newbauer said. “It is one thing to say that and to have that idea, but to see it come to fruition with 18- to 21-year-olds in such a short time is tremendous. It makes me so proud of who they are as people to be so selfless for something greater than themselves and to do something special for our program, and it works.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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